Happy 200th!

By all accounts I should be working on homework or sleeping, but fuck it. I'm here, and welcome to this, the 200th episode of Hasta la Byebye!

Looking back at my archives, it's staggering to see how few posts I've managed to spread out over the years. So many words unwritten, so many beautiful memories forever obscured. Naturally the archives mean so much more to me because it is my life they detail, but I do wish, for the sake of pasts past, that I had written more. Not just so that today I could look back and smile and reminisce, but rather so that I could have been a more complete person to friends, estranged friends and strangers. My life would likely not be radically different, but it sure would be nice--and it's always fun to think about the small ways that smaller changes in your life might have changed the person you have become. On a grander scale, I considered a similar question for Spain and her civil war in the 1930s. Not to say that I know much about the Spanish Civil War (Franco... George Orwell...), but it's interesting to think about. What if Spain had actually fought in World War II? Or what if Turkey had? What if Kemal Atatürk hadn't died in 1938? What if Turgut Özal hadn't thrown open Turkey's doors? What if Matthew Perry hadn't forcibly thrown open Japan's doors?

It's kind of a fun trail to follow sometimes--and that was all just in the realm of international politics. Just think of what might have happened if I'd actually thought about something else. Like goats!

Speaking of goats (and the Spanish Civil War), I saw Pan's Labyrinth today. I have to admit that after all the hype and all the comparisons to Children of Men, I was somewhat disappointed. The movie was very good, but it was nothing at all like Children of Men, a horrifying dystopia. Pan's Labyrinth was just a real, not-nearly-as-bad-as-it-could-have-been-even-though-it-was-still-bad dystopia. The misery of the people and the atmosphere didn't have nearly the same role in either movie, and following little Ofelia was not at all the same as following Clive Owen around. I think I'd like to see it again, this time without expecting Children of Men "but better". Plus, it always warms the cockles of my heart to see goaties portaryed in cinema, even if they are extremely creepy and way too leggy.

Oh, and I am indeed going to try out for that columnist job. At least I think I am. I need to gather together approximately 600 words in a coherent and newsworthy piece of opinion, and I need to do it within about 24 hours. Originally I was thinking of writing about the seeming blind devotion that Jewish organizations in the United States feel toward the foreign policy of Israel, even when within Israel such foreign policy is actually debated. Then I realized I didn't know nearly enough about what I'd be talking about to write that, especially considering that lingering (or more than lingering) worldwide anti-Semitism requires that extra caution be taken when writing about Jews. If I get the job, I might try doing some research and writing about it later, but until then that's going to have to go to the back-burner. But, if I have any Jews out there who at all identify themselves as Jewish, I'd totally like to interview you if I get the job and after I figure out some questions.

So I need a subject for that column. And quickly. I was thinking about maybe something in Africa, since college students are one of the few demographics that might actually care about reading something like that. But that would probably also require a level of factuality that I don't have time to submit to if I want to do things like finish my differential equations homework. Reading through some columns that were actually published in the Daily Texan, it doesn't seem like the standards for opinion writing are too high. Sure, it's always easier to judge when you're not cranking out the words, but I honestly think I have a real shot to match or exceed those standards. Still, though, the problem of topiclessness is kind of pressing. I considering trying my hand at the minimum wage debate, but that old thing is old and hackneyed, and I doubt that I'd be able to make a convincing enough argument to justify bringing it out.

Also, I failed to mention that I'm supposed to really have two columns. Yeah. The fellow who interviewed me (maybe the editor?) told me I could just copy and paste some things from my blog if I wanted to. Somehow I'm not sure that that will be enough. Maybe. And maybe I could go back through those old archives and find inspiration. My opinions are golden and unique, after all. There are simply mountains of treasure hidden in this blog waiting for me to tap in and send them to the press. Oh well. I'll figure out something.

Meanwhile, I really need to grab a bite to eat. I'm starving. And the night is young. I wish I were wise enough to just do my necessary work and go to sleep. Such is the price of youth and awesomeness, I guess. Also, I believe it is time that I start a new tradition on this 200th episode of Hasta la Byebye: no more will this blog's title be needed to close a post. From now on it's optional. That way I don't have to create awkward semi-demi-paragraphs just to say goodbye to you fine folks.

Thank you my small audience for reading what I have to write; there is little that I have done in my life that is more gratifying than having even a miniscule group of semi-devoted readers, and that's a testament to the power of attention. Especially for an attention whore like myself. There's still a lot more writing to do, a lot more irate and incoherent babbling to be published; and I intend to go on until I can no longer tap at these keys. Thanks for stopping in. And for the sake of old traditions and cherished memories existing at least on the internet, hasta la byebye.